Pirates’ Change Leadoff Hitter vs. Royals
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates changed their leadoff hitter for their series finale vs. the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
Tommy Pham takes over as the leadoff hitter for the Pirates, but will stay in left field for the fifth straight game.
This marks the sixth game that Pham has led off for the Pirates this season and the second game of the series, doing so in the series opener on July 7, where he hit a two-run home run.
Spencer Horwitz, who normally plays first base and has led off for the Pirates over these last three series, won't start, as the Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic, is left-handed.
The Pirates will have Jared Triolo start at first base and hit eighth in the lineup, as they did in the series opener. Horwitz bats .132 against left-handed pitchers, while Triolo has hit .226 against southpaws.
Bryan Reynolds returns to right field from designated hitter, after Jack Suwinski started there the game prior. He will stay third in the batting order.
Andrew McCutchen comes back in as the designated hitter for the Pirates and will bat second.
Joey Bart also takes over at catcher from Henry Davis, starting for the first time this series and batting seventh.
The Pirates will keep the remainder of the infield intact, as Ke'Bryan Hayes plays third base and bats sixth, Nick Gonzales stays at second base and bats fourth and Isiah Kiner-Falefa continues on at shortstop and bats ninth.
Oneil Cruz also will stay in center field and bat fifth, where he smashed a solo home run 458 feet the day he announced he'd participate in the Home Run Derby at All-Star Week.
Left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter makes his 19th start for the Pirates this season. He only allowed three hits in his last outing vs. the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on July 4, but all were home runs in the 6-0 defeat.
Falter has had a strong season for the Pirates overall, with a 6-4 record, a 3.69 ERA over 92.2 innings pitched, 56 strikeouts to 32 walks, a .231 opposing batting average and a 1.18 WHIP.
The Pirates have lost all five games on this road trip and are looking to avoid another sweep against the Royals.
First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m. (EST).
Pittsburgh Pirates Lineup vs. the Kansas City Royals
LF Tommy Pham
DH Andrew McCutchen
RF Bryan Reynolds
2B Nick Gonzales
CF Oneil Cruz
3B Ke'Bryan Hayes
C Joey Bart
1B Jared Triolo
SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Series finale in KC.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 9, 2025
📺 @SNPittsburgh
📻 @937theFan | The PRN
Presented by @bet365_us pic.twitter.com/EG1z8LftYA
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.